Page 58 of Wild About You
When the challenge commences, Finn climbs up first, and his ease sends me straight back to our mini golf course break-in. Seems impossible that it was only days ago.
“Okay, Natalie,” he yells down when he has a block in hand. “Great Smoky Mountains National Park gets how many visitors per year? (A) Two million, (b) seven million, (c) twelve million, (d) fourteen million.”
I actually think I know this one. It was in one of my guidebooks, wasn’t it? Because the number surprised me, as did the fact that it’s the most visited U.S. national park. I’m pretty sure it’s twelve million. But it could be fourteen. The two and the four are so close together, it’s confusing.
God, just like that, I’m back in a classroom at Oliver, terrified of being called on because I never seem to say the right things. Finn will be so mad if I get the very first question wrong. Hell, I’ll be mad at myself.
“Natalie!” he shouts. “You know it or you don’t and you make a guess. Either way, let’s keep going.”
His glare would be more intimidating if it wasn’t mixed up with so much concern for me. I make a snap decision. “D) Fourteen million.”
Finn turns the block over and my heart turns over with it when his lips twitch in a hint of a smile. “That’s right.”
Relief flows through me as he pockets the block and heads back down, but the tension ratchets right back up when I start climbing. I’m still unsure about this whole harness situation, but I’m trying my best to keep calm and smell the lavender. In my periphery, I see Harper spider-monkeying her way up her and Evan’s tree, bolstering my courage.
When I get to the platform, the block I pull out is in the very center of the Jenga-like tower. “How many native tree species are represented in the park?” I read out. “(A) Forty-five, (b) one hundred thirty, (c) seventeen, or (d) one hundred.”
I really wouldn’t know this one. It feels both like there are a zillion trees around here and like they all run together. I definitely read up about more than seventeen kinds on the AT as a whole, but—
“(B) One-thirty,” he answers almost immediately. My brows rise when I flip the block and find he’s right, and we are starting off two for two.
The trend doesn’t last. On Finn’s next time up, I don’t know that Horace Kephart is one of the fathers of the national park who a nearby mountain is named after, as opposed to the three other old-timey white guy names to choose from. But Finn keeps his cool as he pulls another block, and I do know that the native people who originally lived on this land were the Cherokees. Granny Star was very interested in correcting any “revisionist history” I learned in school, which, as it happened, was a lot.
On my next turn, with the prompt of “Great Smoky Mountains National Park houses the greatest diversity of this animal in the world,” Finn incorrectly guesses lizards instead of salamanders.
“Ahh, I don’t know which block I can pull next,” I say mostly to myself as I eye the dwindling stack.
“Oh, so this is a difficult choice,” Finn mutters. He’s seemingly talking to himself too, but something tells me he wanted me to overhear.
“Really? We’re doing this now?” I’m back to yelling, block tower forgotten as I put my hands on harness-covered hips. The cameras below hurry to cover both Finn and me, surely picking up on a good storyline about to go down. On the ground, Enemi, Meena, and Evan all turn their focus from their partners to send wary looks our way. I would be self-conscious about it, but my surly teammate has all my energy and attention.
“No, dammit, just pick a block!”
“Urrrgghhhh!” I roar my frustration. I start to go in for a block, but my hands are shaking like a street sign in the background of a hurricane broadcast. But instead of flying off and knocking out an unlucky weatherperson, they’ll knock over the blocks and lose both Finn and me our hundred thousand dollars.
I’m not done talking. He opened this door, so I know he isn’t either. Even if he’s trying to shut it again, I’m wedging my beat-up, quaking little fingers in and pulling.
“I didn’t want a new partner, Finn,” I shout back. I don’t want this to be a group discussion, but I can’t come back down until we get a question right. And I can’t keep holding on to what I need to say. “I wanted to give you the chance to have one!”
Finn’s hands go to the top of his head, fingers lacing together as he tips it back. “I never wanted that. In fact, I remember telling you in the past twenty-four hours that I only want you as my partner. I don’t know how I could have been clearer about that. So you weren’t doing any favors for me.”
“Just because it wasn’t what you wanted doesn’t mean it wouldn’t have been the right thing for you!”
His laugh is humorless. “Why is it so hard for you to believe that you’re the right thing for me? That you’re the best thing that could’ve happened to me from coming on this ridiculous show?” The words make my breath catch in my throat.
“Finn,” I squeak out, voice weakest it’s been all day.
“Leave it, Nat. We need to get through this challenge. See?” He gestures to where Harper and Evan are jogging over to Burke Forrester and the orange flag with their arms around each other’s shoulders, apparently having collected all five blocks first. I feel the adrenaline kicking in, a surge of urgency and competitive spirit spreading out through my veins. He’s right that we need to focus. We’ve had too many close calls already.
I do my best to recenter myself on the task and steady my hands, pulling a block from near the top and barely stirring the stack as a whole. Finn answers this one, about the meaning of the Cherokee name “Kuwahi”—“mulberry place”—with surprising ease. When he goes up again, I waver on the question of the single most visited attraction within the country’s most visited national park.
The choices are Laurel Falls, Cades Cove, Kuwahi, and the Rockefeller Memorial. I rule out the Rockefeller Memorial, because I didn’t know it existed until today. Apologies to the Rockefeller family. Kuwahi could be the one—I mean, highest point of the whole Appalachian Trail. Nice observation tower, when you’re not having to rappel down from it.
But it’s Cades Cove that’s calling to me. I remember going a few times with Granny Star, this beautiful oasis just outside the touristy hubs of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. And in addition to stunning natural beauty, it had lots of visitors, a slow-moving parade of cars rolling down its loop road even on weekdays, forever making my grandma wonder aloud whether anyone had jobs or went to school anymore. It feels right.
And more importantly, I see Enemi starting to climb her tree, Zeke yelling, “Last one! Let’s go!” That does it.
“Cades Cove!”